Month

July 2016

On Memorial Day, politicians will speak at ceremonies all over the country and repeat their favorite mantra: “Support the troops.”

This pledge is hammered into the American psyche at every turn. But there is a hidden, dark history that shows that the politicians are in fact no friend to service members–but their greatest enemy.

An easy way to prove this truth is to look at how they so quickly betray and abandon their soldiers after purposely ruining their lives, and even after using them as literal lab rats.

In this disturbing chapter of The Empire Files, Abby Martin documents decades of experimentation on US troops—from nuclear tests to psychotropic drugs—as well as knowingly exposing them to deadly poisons, from sarin gas to Agent Orange.

Most damning is that the hundreds of thousands of veterans seeking help from the government for the side-effects are always met with lies and denial.

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In 1903, at the height of the Northern gold rush, the Lomen family of Minnesota relocated to Nome, Alaska. Rather than pan for gold, they sought other commercial opportunities in the booming Alaskan economy.

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The Bengal Famine: How the British engineered the worst genocide in human history for profit

“I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.”

-Winston Churchill

The British had a ruthless economic agenda when it came to operating in India and that did not include empathy for native citizens. Under the British Raj, India suffered countless famines. But the worst hit was Bengal. The first of these was in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 1943-44. Previously, when famines had hit the country, indigenous rulers were quick with useful responses to avert major disasters. After the advent of the British, most of the famines were a consequence of monsoonal delays along with the exploitation of the country’s natural resources by the British for their own financial gain. Yet they did little to acknowledge the havoc these actions wrought. If anything, they were irritated at the inconveniences in taxing the famines brought about.

The first of these famines was in 1770 and was ghastly brutal. The first signs indicating the coming of such a huge famine manifested in 1769 and the famine itself went on till 1773. It killed approximately 10 million people, millions more than the Jews incarcerated during the Second World War. It wiped out one third the population of Bengal. John Fiske, in his book “The Unseen World”, wrote that the famine of 1770 in Bengal was far deadlier than the Black Plague that terrorized Europe in the fourteenth century. Under the Mughal rule, peasants were required to pay a tribute of 10-15 per cent of their cash harvest. This ensured a comfortable treasury for the rulers and a wide net of safety for the peasants in case the weather did not hold for future harvests. In 1765 the Treaty of Allahabad was signed and East India Company took over the task of collecting the tributes from the then Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Overnight the tributes, the British insisted on calling them tributes and not taxes for reasons of suppressing rebellion, increased to 50 percent. The peasants were not even aware that the money had changed hands. They paid, still believing that it went to the Emperor.

Partial failure of crop was quite a regular occurrence in the Indian peasant’s life. That is why the surplus stock, which remained after paying the tributes, was so important to their livelihood. But with the increased taxation, this surplus deteriorated rapidly. When partial failure of crops came in 1768, this safety net was no longer in place. The rains of 1769 were dismal and herein the first signs of the terrible draught began to appear. The famine occurred mainly in the modern states of West Bengal and Bihar but also hit Orissa, Jharkhand and Bangladesh. Bengal was, of course, the worst hit. Among the worst affected areas were Birbum and Murshidabad in Bengal. Thousands depopulated the area in hopes of finding sustenance elsewhere, only to die of starvation later on. Those who stayed on perished nonetheless. Huge acres of farmland were abandoned. Wilderness started to thrive here, resulting in deep and inhabitable jungle areas. Tirhut, Champaran and Bettiah in Bihar were similarly affected in Bihar.

Prior to this, whenever the possibility of a famine had emerged, the Indian rulers would waive their taxes and see compensatory measures, such as irrigation, instituted to provide as much relief as possible to the stricken farmers. The colonial rulers continued to ignore any warnings that came their way regarding the famine, although starvation had set in from early 1770. Then the deaths started in 1771. That year, the company raised the land tax to 60 per cent in order to recompense themselves for the lost lives of so many peasants. Fewer peasants resulted in less crops that in turn meant less revenue. Hence the ones who did not yet succumb to the famine had to pay double the tax so as to ensure that the British treasury did not suffer any losses during this travesty.

After taking over from the Mughal rulers, the British had issued widespread orders for cash crops to be cultivated. These were intended to be exported. Thus farmers who were used to growing paddy and vegetables were now being forced to cultivate indigo, poppy and other such items that yielded a high market value for them but could be of no relief to a population starved of food. There was no backup of edible crops in case of a famine. The natural causes that had contributed to the draught were commonplace. It was the single minded motive for profit that wrought about the devastating consequences. No relief measure was provided for those affected. Rather, as mentioned above, taxation was increased to make up for any shortfall in revenue. What is more ironic is that the East India Company generated a profited higher in 1771 than they did in 1768.

Although the starved populace of Bengal did not know it yet, this was just the first of the umpteen famines, caused solely by the motive for profit, that was to slash across the country side. Although all these massacres were deadly in their own right, the deadliest one to occur after 1771 was in 1943 when three million people died and others resorted to eating grass and human flesh in order to survive.

Winston Churchill, the hallowed British War prime minister who saved Europe from a monster like Hitler was disturbingly callous about the roaring famine that was swallowing Bengal’s population. He casually diverted the supplies of medical aid and food that was being dispatched to the starving victims to the already well supplied soldiers of Europe. When entreated upon he said, “Famine or no famine, Indians will breed like rabbits.” The Delhi Government sent a telegram painting to him a picture of the horrible devastation and the number of people who had died. His only response was, “Then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”

This Independence Day it is worthwhile to remember that the riches of the west were built on the graves of the East. While we honour the brave freedom fighters (as we should), it is victims like these, the ones sacrificed without a moment’s thought, who paid the ultimate price. Shed a tear in their memory and strive to make the most of this hard won independence that we take for granted today. Pledge to stand up those whose voice the world refuses to hear because they are too lowly to matter. To be free is a great privilege. But as a great superhero once said, “With great freedom comes great responsibility.”

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A couple of days I was on Twitter reading and posting comments on the refugee situation we are currently experiencing.Mostly it was an interesting discussion,many differing opinions but also some extremly nasty behaviour.

THIS this is what they are fleeing from,take a good look.

dead Syrian children,according to UNICEF 10% OF THE VICTIMS ARE CHILDREN

Some people said to me they are all just young men and mostly terrorists overrunning our country.Have you ever considered the these young men are simply trying to find a place for their wifes,sisters,mothers and children to come to?They are the ones that have the strength and courage to endure the arduous conditions crossing thousands of miles of hostile lands to find a safe haven.

Also the media will show you what they wish to.Change the camera directicetion and you will see plenty of women and children but it it far more convinient for some parties to whip up fear of the “other” that is going to steal your job your housing.

The reality is we started these wars,on false premises by a lying corrupt government that did not care about the suffering they are causing.

As for the argument that other countries are not taking in refugees why hould we.

It leave we me speechless ,it has nothing to do with what other countries do.What matters is that it is the right thing to do,we have an obligation to these people ,we destroyed their homes,their infrastructure their lives,murdered millions in the name of giving them freedom.

Why not look to those countries like Lebanon that have taken in far more people then us.Instead of using those that to nothing as an example.

We have plenty of space,thousands of empty houses to house our own homeless as well as refugees.These people will bring skills and ideas to country with an aging population.

Are you still going to say we should not help them when they start building concentration camps and gas chambers?

Do you see how broken our young soldiers are that return from these places,how many are left to starve on the streets having done their bit for this corrupt government?Is that OK too?

In my mind it is simply the right thing to do.Nobody leaves their country to end up in filthy refugee camps and those are the lucky ones.How many have drowned on the way,died of cold,hunger or been shot?

You know just stopping those stupid wars on all sides is the simplest solution.Stop killing,stop sending our sons and daughters to kill theirs.

How would you feel if we were invaded because the UN has criticised our givernment for it’s austerity measures that has killed so many? While those causing it are hoarding wealth in offshore bank accounts ,bleeding the country dry.It is not the refugees you should fear but ,or the poor,the disabled,the jobles.

It is those in power you should fear ,they have shown only too clearly that we are nothing to them but pawns to be used and sacrificed.You can bet their children are not sent to to the frontline,nOr will you see our politicians living on starvation wages.Can you not see they are turning us against each other and those seeking shelter from their wars only to better control and exploit the worlds resources?

War is a buisness and it is the ordinary person paying for it with their lives while they grow ever richer,ever more divorced from reality.By turning our backs on our fellow human beings regardles of their race,religion or colour ,we will all have blood on our hands.

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Vietnam jungle saga: Father & son spent 40+ years hiding from US airstrikes in the wild

Having survived a deadly American bombing that killed their entire village, a Vietnamese family of two spent over 40 years hiding in jungles confident the war was still going on and getting close to human settlements was unsafe.

The “Tarzans” were found in 2013 – Ho Van Thanh, now 85, and his now 44-year-old son Ho Van Lang, according to reports in local media. For over four decades they had been living as hermits in a remote area of the Tay Tra district of Quang Ngai region of Vietnam.

The father served in the North Vietnamese Army. In 1972, the US Air Force bombed their village, killing everyone including Ho Van Thanh’s wife and two of his children. He decided to flee to the jungles with his surviving two-year-old son. Nobody set eyes on them again for 41 years.

Through all those years they evaded people they encountered in the jungle and lived in a small wooden hut elevated 5 meters above ground, wearing loincloths, making tools they needed and eating anything that could be gathered, picked and hunted down in the wild forest.

Finally, they were spotted by foragers who reported about the “jungle men” to the authorities. A distant relative was found, who tried to talk them into returning to civilization.

Initially, they refused to come out of the woods, believing the war was still on, but given his age, Ho Van Thanh eventually needed medical attention, which forced the father and son to leave the jungle.

For the next three years, they lived in a village, trying to adapt to civilization.

Last November, their story got the attention of Alvaro Cerezo, managing director of the Docastaway tourist company in Hong Kong, which provides tours to uninhabited parts of Asia.

Cerezo managed to talk the son, Ho Van Lang, into going back to the jungle with his crew to show how they managed to survive for so long in total isolation.

The man said he and his father didn’t lead a Tarzan life per se. They grew corn and cassava, and kept their fire lit, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In fact, the diet of two Mowglis was extremely varied, as they consumed practically anything that could be found in the forest. The majority of plants and fruits growing there are edible.

“While I was with him in the jungle I saw him eat bats as though they were olives,” International Business Times cited Cerezo as saying. Practically no creature in the jungle could pose any threat to them.

They also used a number of hand-made tools, collecting items they needed to produce them across the jungle, which included fragments of American bombs.

“They never ate with their hands, but had improvised chopsticks made of bamboo,” Cerezo said.

It turned out they never had any major issues with health, narrowing their concerns to flu once a year and occasional stomach ache.

However, when they got back to civilization, they drank their cup in full, being not immune to the many maladies that spread among people who live crowded together.

Alvaro Cerezo discovered Ho Van Lang is still not interested in any news from the outside world or his own country. He doesn’t use electricity and cultivates a piece of land he was given. He plans to get married, although previously he had never seen a woman.